Designing Token Economies

Why does it matter? Everything is falling apart. Terra collapsed largely thanks to its token design. Projects that attracted millions or billions of dollars with the promise of absurd APYs are learning the truth of the old adage, “Easy come, easy go.” The regulators are coming. Tokens that were worth a lot of fiat a couple weeks ago are worth a lot... See more

One of the reasons that there is so much confusion around token design, and value accrual specifically, is that tokens, and the DAOs and protocols that issue them, are so multifaceted. Sometimes, the issuers want them to behave like shares in a corporation. Others issue “governance” rights to skirt regulations while insiders pump the tokens in the ... See more

Sometimes, tokens function like equity in a company, and owning a token is akin to holding a stake in the project’s potential upside. Other times, tokens function like a “token-of-gratitude” and symbolize goodwill among close friends in the purest sense. The wide-ranging role isn’t a bug but a feature representing value in the most abstract sense, ... See more